This invention relates generally to room air conditioners and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for mounting a fan/motor assembly in a room air conditioner.
Room air conditioners comprise indoor and outdoor sections separated by a laterally extending wall or partition. Coils and associated fans are provided in each of the outdoor and indoor sections. Normally a single motor is provided to simultaneously drive both fans, and the motor is normally located in the outdoor section to thereby minimize the indoor noise. To accomplish this it is, of course, necessary for the motor shaft to pass through the partition such that the indoor fan can be attached thereto.
A typical process of installing a fan/motor assembly into a room air conditioner is first inserting the indoor shaft through a hole in the partition, fastening the motor either to the partition or the base pan, and then sliding the indoor fan over the shaft and locking it in place. This requires that the shaft flat or other locking means is properly aligned with the fan hub, a step which can be difficult when the fan is dropped in from the top, as is usually the case. Further, on the other end of the motor shaft the shroud and the condenser fan must then be installed after the motor is in place, with the reverse being required for removal of the motor where repair or maintenance is required. Thus, it will be seen that not only for the initial installation during the manufacturing process, but even more so when disassembly and re-assembly is required for servicing, installation or removal of the motor can be difficult and involve other components. For example, in order to remove the motor, it is normally necessary to remove the partition with its attached scroll or, alternatively, to first remove the shroud and the outdoor and indoor fans, either of which is very time consuming.
Sometimes it is also necessary to pull the condenser coil out of the way, which in turn may cause damage to the tubing or cause the system to lose charge.
Another approach is to assembly the motor and the indoor fan to the partition before the partition is assembled to the base pan. If the reverse is used for servicing, the entire partition must then be removed to remove the motor. If this method is carried further such that the condenser fan and shroud are assembled to the motor/partition assembly, then both the partition and the shroud can be fastened to the base pan at the same time. Again, if this procedure is used in reverse for servicing, it is necessary to remove both the shroud and the partition in order to remove the motor for servicing. The installation and/or removal of the entire assembly can be cumbersome and difficult and even require the service of two people.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of installing a motor in a room air conditioner.
Another object of the present invention is the provision in a room air conditioner for a motor/partition arrangement which allows removal of the motor without removal of the partition.
Yet another object of the present invention is the provision in a room air conditioner for easily installing and/or removing the fan motor without removing the outdoor fan shroud.
Still another other object of the present invention is the provision in a room air conditioner for a motor/partition combination which is simple in design, easy to install and effective in use.
These objects and other features and advantages become more readily apparent upon reference to the following description when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings.